NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

Natural History – Laographic Museum in Vrisa:

A wide road connecting the Vatera Vrisa. This road crosses potamocheimarria conglomerates and sandy silts. The sediments are proof of the existence of a river system with flood plains and flood plains. During the construction of the house Vatera first discovered the lower jaw a provoskidotou. The fossil was identified as belonging to the species anancus arvenensis, a provoskidoto which disappeared before 1.6 million years. More research led to the discovery of more fossils, such as a fossilized horse metapodia the carapace of a turtle and a crushed jaw sarcophagus of nyctereutes.
The number of fossils is unique. First and foremost in terms of species diversity and second and more important in the same fossils, some of which are completely unknown and more completely known in other places: a dwarf antelope, a giant turtle and a big ape.

In September, organized a second excavation confirmed the initial findings. The fossils are able to Vatera great scientific importance, as it provides important new information on the environment during the period before the start of the glaciers in the Pliocene, ie the period of early humans appear in the Old World.

Abundant fossils of gazelle, antelope and horses suggests a savannah environment. The sediments indicate the presence of a riverine system, which probably grew on the banks of the forest. His presence virtually unknown monkey paradolichopithecus, who is known only in two locations in Europe and the giant tortoise make Vatera unique fauna.
On the beach seems Vatera Chios. Prior to 2 million years – as much as the age of fossils – the view was completely different. Chios was joined to Lesbos. There was a river system with flood plains. There were herds of gazelles and giraffes that grazed on grass or fed on the leaves of trees.
In the old school Vrissa hosted the findings of the discoveries of Vatera. It is a very interesting collection that includes a) finds fossils of vertebrate and invertebrate, which consist of bipedal ape fossils, sizable horse, gazelle, deer, cattle, mammoths, elephants and others. b) mineralogy and petrology fossils covering the mineral wealth of the island, c) Department of Zoology and representative species of the fauna of the island, d) part of botanical samples with a modern and fossilized fauna of the island.

In the backyard of the museum out Model of the giant tortoise, which is roughly the size of a small car.